Keith Farrelle Cozart, better known by his stage name Chief Keef, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer. Born and raised in Chicago's South Side, he began his recording career as a teenager and first garnered regional attention and praise for his mixtapes in the early 2010s.
His first local hit, "I Don't Like" (featuring Lil Reese) was released in March 2012 and soon became his first entry on the Billboard Hot 100, spawning a remixed version from high-profile hometown native Kanye West. A bidding war between major labels resulted in Cozart signing with Interscope Records. A follow-up single, "Love Sosa" found similar success as he released his debut studio album, Finally Rich in December of that year to moderate success. His recordings from this point and onward would become credited with popularizing the hip hop subgenre drill for a mainstream audience, with Cozart often named as a progenitor for the genre.
Cozart has faced extensive, ongoing legal troubles throughout his career, including weapons possession charges, house arrest sentences, and a performance ban imposed by Chicago authorities. Despite parting ways with Interscope in late 2014, he continued self-releasing projects through his own Glo Gang label, including Nobody (2014), Back from the Dead 2 (2014), and Bang 3 (2015). In 2020 and 2023 respectively, Cozart would reach his furthest chart success with his guest appearances on "Bean (Kobe)" by Lil Uzi Vert and "All the Parties" by Drake.
